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The emotional experience of anhedonia: Psychophysiology, facial expression, and self report
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individual have equal chances (6%) of becoming a schizophrenic. Thus, if SPD belongs to schizophrenia spectrum disorders, similar, although less severe impairments may be expected. A prominent feature of schizophrenia is disordered language. In our recent study, the N400, an electrophysiological index of language, was found abnormal in schizophrenics suggesting problems in lexical networks and working memory. We here report the results of a study of 19 SPD individuals (DSM-IV) and 16 normal controls, matched for age, IQ and parental SES, whose EEG was recorded while they read (visual) and listened to (auditory), 200 sentences. Half of the sentences made sense, and half did not. The N400 amplitude in the SPDs was significantly more negative in the auditory modality, correct sentences condition (p<0.02), and its latency was prolonged in the two modalities (p
ftJn EEG COHERENCE AND SYMPTOM DIMENSIONS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA Ross M.G. Norman; Ashok K. Malia; Peter C. Williamson; Sandra Morrison-Stewart; Edward Helmes University of Western Ontario. LHSC, Vic. Campus, 392 South St. London, Ontario. N6A 4G5 It has been hypothesised that disruptions in the connections between left frontal and temporal areas of the brain are a central deficit in schizophrenia (Frith et al., 1995; Weinberger et al., 1992). We report the results of a study in which we examined whether such disruptions in connectivity between these two brain regions is related to any specific symptom dimensions and whether there are gender differences in relation to this finding in schizophrenia. For 73 DSM-III-R schizophrenic patients we examined EEG coherence between frontal and temporal regions on left and right side during a mathematical task, and between frontal and occipital regions when performing a visuo-spatial task. Symptom dimensions were derived from items on the SAPS and SANS used to evaluate symptomatology and were based on empirical evidence of the existence of three syndromes or dimensions in schizophrenia (Liddle, 1987; Malla et al., 1993). Consistent with the hypothesis stated above, only coherence between left frontal and temporal regions during the mathematical task was related to symptomatology. This relationship was,
however, specific to reality distortion (psychotic) dimension of symptomatology (r= -0.29, p<0.02) rather than to symptoms of disorganization or psychomotor poverty (negative) symptom dimensions. An analysis of the data for male (n=51) and female subjects (n = 22) revealed that this relationship was significant only for male subjects (r= -0.43, p
'71
THE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE OF ANHEDONIA: PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, FACIAL EXPRESSION, AND SELF REPORT Katherine M. Putnam and John M. Neale HillsideHospital. PsychiatryResearch, Glen Oaks, NY 11004 Anhedonia has been implicated as an important prognostic indicator and as a relatively stable symptom of schizophrenia. However, measurement of anhedonia has typically relied on self report instruments; and therefore, current understanding of this symptom is limited. In order to gain further nonverbal data, the present study utilized an affective startle blink paradigm with high scorers on the Physical Anhedonia Scale and nonanhedonic controls. Startle response, as measured by eye blink magnitude, to acoustic startle probes has been shown to be attenuated while viewing positive slides, and augmented while viewing negative slides-thus providing a nonverbal indicant of an individual's emotional state. Subjects watched slides of positive, negative, and neutral valence while randomly placed bursts of white noise were presented binaurally. Unilateral electromyographical recording was used to measure the magnitude of the orbicularis oculi, zygomatic, and corrugator muscle activity. Both groups differentiated between pleasant and unpleasant slides by the magnitude of their eye blink, but no group difference in startle blink magnitude was found. Analyses of corrugator and zygomatic activity indicate thaI anhedonics have increased corrugator activity in response to the negative slides. These results suggest that although anhedonics may be experiencing the same level of affect as nonanhedonics, their expression of affect can be differentiated.
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DETERMINANTS OF THE POSTIMPERATIVE NEGATIVE VARIATION IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS AND HEALTHY CONTROLS Brigitte Rockstroh, Rudolf Cohen, Christoph Klein DepartmentofPsychology, University ofKonstanz. P.O. 00.'C 556Q-D23. D-78434 Konstanz, Gemumy
individual have equal chances (6%) of becoming a schizophrenic. Thus, if SPD belongs to schizophrenia spectrum disorders, similar, although less severe impairments may be expected. A prominent feature of schizophrenia is disordered language. In our recent study, the N400, an electrophysiological index of language, was found abnormal in schizophrenics suggesting problems in lexical networks and working memory. We here report the results of a study of 19 SPD individuals (DSM-IV) and 16 normal controls, matched for age, IQ and parental SES, whose EEG was recorded while they read (visual) and listened to (auditory), 200 sentences. Half of the sentences made sense, and half did not. The N400 amplitude in the SPDs was significantly more negative in the auditory modality, correct sentences condition (p<0.02), and its latency was prolonged in the two modalities (p
ftJn EEG COHERENCE AND SYMPTOM DIMENSIONS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA Ross M.G. Norman; Ashok K. Malia; Peter C. Williamson; Sandra Morrison-Stewart; Edward Helmes University of Western Ontario. LHSC, Vic. Campus, 392 South St. London, Ontario. N6A 4G5 It has been hypothesised that disruptions in the connections between left frontal and temporal areas of the brain are a central deficit in schizophrenia (Frith et al., 1995; Weinberger et al., 1992). We report the results of a study in which we examined whether such disruptions in connectivity between these two brain regions is related to any specific symptom dimensions and whether there are gender differences in relation to this finding in schizophrenia. For 73 DSM-III-R schizophrenic patients we examined EEG coherence between frontal and temporal regions on left and right side during a mathematical task, and between frontal and occipital regions when performing a visuo-spatial task. Symptom dimensions were derived from items on the SAPS and SANS used to evaluate symptomatology and were based on empirical evidence of the existence of three syndromes or dimensions in schizophrenia (Liddle, 1987; Malla et al., 1993). Consistent with the hypothesis stated above, only coherence between left frontal and temporal regions during the mathematical task was related to symptomatology. This relationship was,
however, specific to reality distortion (psychotic) dimension of symptomatology (r= -0.29, p<0.02) rather than to symptoms of disorganization or psychomotor poverty (negative) symptom dimensions. An analysis of the data for male (n=51) and female subjects (n = 22) revealed that this relationship was significant only for male subjects (r= -0.43, p
'71
THE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE OF ANHEDONIA: PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, FACIAL EXPRESSION, AND SELF REPORT Katherine M. Putnam and John M. Neale HillsideHospital. PsychiatryResearch, Glen Oaks, NY 11004 Anhedonia has been implicated as an important prognostic indicator and as a relatively stable symptom of schizophrenia. However, measurement of anhedonia has typically relied on self report instruments; and therefore, current understanding of this symptom is limited. In order to gain further nonverbal data, the present study utilized an affective startle blink paradigm with high scorers on the Physical Anhedonia Scale and nonanhedonic controls. Startle response, as measured by eye blink magnitude, to acoustic startle probes has been shown to be attenuated while viewing positive slides, and augmented while viewing negative slides-thus providing a nonverbal indicant of an individual's emotional state. Subjects watched slides of positive, negative, and neutral valence while randomly placed bursts of white noise were presented binaurally. Unilateral electromyographical recording was used to measure the magnitude of the orbicularis oculi, zygomatic, and corrugator muscle activity. Both groups differentiated between pleasant and unpleasant slides by the magnitude of their eye blink, but no group difference in startle blink magnitude was found. Analyses of corrugator and zygomatic activity indicate thaI anhedonics have increased corrugator activity in response to the negative slides. These results suggest that although anhedonics may be experiencing the same level of affect as nonanhedonics, their expression of affect can be differentiated.
(,7~
DETERMINANTS OF THE POSTIMPERATIVE NEGATIVE VARIATION IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS AND HEALTHY CONTROLS Brigitte Rockstroh, Rudolf Cohen, Christoph Klein DepartmentofPsychology, University ofKonstanz. P.O. 00.'C 556Q-D23. D-78434 Konstanz, Gemumy